Rahul Dravid Asia Cup: Team India Head Coach Joins Players In Dubai After Recovering From COVID-19

After Dravid being tested positive, VVS Laxman was named the interim head coach for Team India (Senior Men) for the important Asia Cup.

New Delhi: Team India Head Coach Rahul Dravid has joined Team India for Asia Cup 2022 in Dubai after having tested negative for COVID-19, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed on Sunday .

"Team India Head Coach Rahul Dravid has tested negative for COVID-19 and has joined the team in Dubai. Interim coach VVS Laxman who was present with the team in Dravid's absence, has returned to Bengaluru to oversee the India A programme": BCCI stated, as reported by news agency ANI.

Earlier this week, Rahul Dravid tested positive with "mild symptoms" for the virus in a routine test conducted ahead of the team's departure to the UAE for Asia Cup 2022.

After Dravid being tested positive, VVS Laxman was named the interim head coach for Team India (Senior Men) for the important Asia Cup.

India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2022

So far, both sides have locked horns on nine occasions in T20I matches. India has an edge overall, with wins in seven matches out of these. Pakistan has won only two. But the last time these two met was during the ICC T20 World Cup 2021, in which India suffered a humiliating ten-wicket defeat. Left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi destroyed the Indian top order with two quick strikes.

Contributions from then-skipper Virat Kohli (57) and Rishabh Pant (39) took India to 151/7 in their 20 overs but knocks from Mohammed Rizwan (79*) and Pakistani skipper Babar Azam (68*) meant that Men in Blue succumbed to a shocking defeat. India will be looking forward to putting up a big fight this time around. They have been in fantastic form as of late, having defeated England and West Indies in their respective territories in ODI and T20I series.

They are also the number one side in T20Is. For this, it will be extremely vital for skipper Rohit Sharma, star batters Virat Kohli and KL Rahul to be at peak of their powers and showcase the brutality with their willow that has earned them millions of fans.

All eyes will be on Rohit and Virat to regain their best form and play a match-winning knock. India's middle order has been seeing a rise of new stars. Suryakumar Yadav and Deepak Hooda are two exciting strikers who can attack from ball one. These two hitters have their chance to etch their names in history in this match against their arch-rivals. Experienced middle-order batters/all-rounders like Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant will also be looking forward to carrying on the fine form they are in.

The Indian bowling attack has a lot of depth. In absence of lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah, all eyes will be on Bhuvneshwar Kumar to lead the attack. He has been superb for India in T20Is this year, especially during powerplays, a phase in which India will look up to him for early strikes.

Youngsters Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan will have their chance to make an impact as well. In the spin department, veterans Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will be leading the attack. They along with Yuzvnedra Chahal and youngster Ravi Bishnoi will have to complement the pace attack well and bamboozle Pakistanis with their deliveries.

Coming to team Pakistan, they are the third-ranked side in ICC T20I rankings and are not to be taken lightly. Their top order has two in-form batters in Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan. 

(With ANI Inputs)